A sample inspection system and a corresponding method for inspecting a sample is provided. The sample inspection system includes a beam former, a beam modulator an energy resolving detector and a collimator. The beam former is adapted to receive an electromagnetic radiation from an electromagnetic source to generate a primary beam of electromagnetic radiation. The beam modulator is provided at a distance from the beam former to define a sample chamber. The collimator is provided between the beam modulator and the energy resolving detector. The collimator has a plurality of channels adapted to receive diffracted or scattered radiation. Upon incidence of the primary beam onto the beam modulator, the beam modulator provides a reference beam of diffracted or scattered radiation. The energy resolving detector is arranged to detect the reference beam.

A method of determining at least one x-ray scanning system geometric property includes the steps of positioning a calibration device inside a scanning chamber of the scanning device, the chamber being intersected by at least one fan beam of x-rays during a scanning operation, measuring a distance between the calibration device and at least one inner wall of the chamber, scanning the calibration device to produce an image of the calibration device, identifying pixels representing the a geometric feature of the calibration device in the image, determining a position and orientation of the pixels representing the geometric feature in the image and, determining a scanning system property based on the position and orientation of the pixels representing the geometric feature in the image. The position and orientation of the feature in the scanning chamber and the x-ray scanning system property may be determined simultaneously.

A sample inspection system and a corresponding method for inspecting a sample is provided. The sample inspection system includes a beam former, a beam modulator an energy resolving detector and a collimator. The beam former is adapted to receive an electromagnetic radiation from an electromagnetic source to generate a primary beam of electromagnetic radiation. The beam modulator is provided at a distance from the beam former to define a sample chamber. The collimator is provided between the beam modulator and the energy resolving detector. The collimator has a plurality of channels adapted to receive diffracted or scattered radiation. Upon incidence of the primary beam onto the beam modulator, the beam modulator provides a reference beam of diffracted or scattered radiation. The energy resolving detector is arranged to detect the reference beam.

Method include emitting x-rays from an x-ray source, directing a first portion of the x-rays through an object grating situated adjacent to an object while the object is scanned relative to the object grating along a scan direction, directing a second portion of the x-rays through the object and subsequently through a detector grating without transmitting through the object grating, wherein the object grating and detector grating are adjacently arranged in a field of view of the x-rays sequentially with respect to each other in the scan direction, and receiving the first portion transmitted through the object and object grating with a first portion of a detector and receiving the second portion transmitted through the object and the detector grating with a second portion of the detector adjacent to the first portion of the detector. Systems are also disclosed, along with related techniques for beam hardening correction.

An image processing apparatus comprises a processing unit configured to performing energy subtraction processing using information concerning a plurality of attenuation rates corresponding to a plurality of radiation energies that are different from each other and are obtained by performing imaging in which an object is irradiated with radiation. The processing unit estimates attenuation information of a decomposition target material contained in the object using at least one image obtained by the energy subtraction processing, and generates an image concerning the decomposition target material using the attenuation information and the information concerning the plurality of attenuation rates.

An X-ray inspection apparatus includes a transport unit configured to transport an article, an electromagnetic wave irradiation unit configured to irradiate the article with a first electromagnetic wave in a first energy band and a second electromagnetic wave in a second energy band, an electromagnetic wave sensor configured to detect the first electromagnetic wave and the second electromagnetic wave, and a control unit to which a detection result is input. The control unit is configured to generate a first transmission image based on a detection result of the first electromagnetic wave and a second transmission image based on a detection result of the second electromagnetic wave, to perform image processing including a subtraction process on the first transmission image and the second transmission image, and to determine whether or not a foreign material is included in the article on the basis of a difference image.

Provided is a highly reliable X-ray inspection device having two line sensors, in which accurate inspection results can be obtained even when there is displacement of the mounting position of the line sensors. The X-ray inspection device is provided with a conveyor unit for conveying an article, an X-ray emitter, a first line sensor, a second line sensor, a detection unit, and a corrected-image generation unit. The X-ray emitter emits X-rays to the article conveyed by the conveyor unit. The first line sensor detects, in a low energy band, X-rays that have passed through the article. The second line sensor detects, in a high energy band, X-rays that have passed through the article. The detection unit detects positional displacement of the second line sensor with respect to the first line sensor in horizontal direction and vertical direction.

A radiation imaging apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes an imaging unit including pixels and a control unit. Each of the pixels includes a conversion unit and a sample/hold circuit. The control unit causes the imaging unit to perform first imaging and second imaging after the first imaging to generate one energy subtraction image, and controls a timing of causing the sample/hold circuit in the first imaging to sample a first image signal obtained by the first imaging and a timing of causing the sample/hold circuit in the second imaging to sample a second image signal obtained by the second imaging in accordance with radiation irradiation conditions set in advance so as to reduce a difference between an amount of noise contained in the first image signal and an amount of noise contained in the second image signal.

An X-ray inspection apparatus includes an X-ray source configured to irradiate an article with X-rays in a plurality of energy bands, an X-ray detection unit capable of detecting the X-rays by a photon counting method, an image generation unit configured to generate an overall transmission image corresponding to the X-rays in all of the plurality of energy bands and a transmission image corresponding to the X-rays in some of the plurality of energy bands on the basis of a detection result of the X-rays by the X-ray detection unit, and an inspection unit configured to inspect the article on the basis of the overall transmission image and the transmission image.

An X-ray inspection device includes a transport unit, an X-ray irradiation unit configured to irradiate an article with X-rays, an X-ray detection unit configured to detect the X-rays in each of a plurality of energy bands, an X-ray transmission image generation unit configured to generate a plurality of X-ray transmission images on the basis of the X-rays in each of the plurality of energy bands, and an inspection unit configured to inspect whether or not a foreign matter is present or absent in the article on the basis of a difference image between the plurality of generated X-ray transmission images. The inspection unit detects a first foreign matter having a higher specific gravity than the article using a first threshold value and detects a second foreign matter having a lower specific gravity than the article using a second threshold value different from the first threshold value.